Mad Cave reveals their ‘Gatchaman’ plans

Ken, Jun and the rest of the team will soar in new comics this year by Cullen Bunn, Christ Batista, Tommy Lee Edwards, Mindy Lee and more.

At the ComicsPRO meeting this week, Mad Cave Studios shared more details on their publishing plans for Gatchaman, which they licensed from Tatsunoko Production last year.

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, or just Gatchaman, or “G-Force” to those who grew up on the Americanized cartoon, is a popular Japanese anime created by Tatsuo Yoshida. It features five “super ninjas” who work for the International Science Organization and protect Earth’s natural resources from a terrorist group called Galactor. Each member of the team wears a winged suit that aligns to a different bird, and has a different vehicle that goes along with their theme.

Mad Cave announced the acquisition of the property in San Diego last July, and have already revealed it’ll debut on Free Comic Book Day. But they have plans that go beyond just a single series, as they’ve also announced a series of one-shots spotlighting the members of the team and a Galactor miniseries focused on their enemies.

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Scarlet Witch returns to her own solo title in June

Steve Orlando and Jacopo Camagni reopen the door for new adventures starring the magical Avenger.

Following her current five-issue team-up with her brother in Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, Wanda Maximoff will return to her own solo title in June, courtesy of Steve Orlando and Jacopo Camagni.

Orlando has been writing the character since Marvel’s Darkhold event in 2021, which was actually delayed because of the pandemic, so his tenure with the character goes even further back. In her previous solo title, Orlando established her as the proprietor of a shop that will open itself to souls in need — leading to all sorts of adventures for her and her partner in magic, Darcy Lewis.

Camagni, meanwhile, is known for his work on X-Men Red and Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe, among other titles.

“The news is out and I couldn’t be more excited,” Orlando said. “Scarlet Witch has been a dream job, and getting to return to her once again and continue Wanda’s adventures is something I could never say no to. And Wanda’s going to keep climbing! Here, we’ll be bringing the blockbuster storytelling of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to the focused, personal journey Wanda began in Darkhold and Scarlet Witch. And standing in her way? Only one of Marvel’s most powerful and climactic entities, bent on destroying everything Wanda stands for.”

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It’s open season on dragons in Orlando + Huang’s ‘The Scale Trade’

Steve Orlando and Megan Huang hunt the dragon hunters in the new title coming from Magma Comix in May.

Now that we’re a couple weeks into the Year of the Dragon, Magma Comix has officially announced The Scale Trade, the new modern fantasy series by Steve Orlando and Megan Huang. Magma mentioned it last month when the publisher started unveiling their 2024 slate.

In any event, the new series sounds great — set in a modern world where dragons still exist but are high on the endangered species list, one man takes a stand against the poachers and corrupt governments that want their scales.

“The Scale Trade was absolutely influenced by the depravity of the illegal exotic meat trade, poaching, and specifically the street-level vigilance against the abuse of horses and sale of horse meat in a variety of parts of the country,” said Orlando. “We wanted to talk about these things, but also thrill and excite on an elevated scale (no pun intended). So we built a world where dragons were part of the animal kingdom, where THEY, these creatures that awe us, were also some of the most valuable commodities in the world. It’s a modern fantasy—not high fantasy or low sword and sorcery. At the end of the day it’s about the way we as a species interact with nature—concepts bigger and older than us—and how we tend to commodify life on this planet. At the core, The Scale Trade is about heroic animal rescue. A man and his dog… if his dog was a majestic flying lizard.”

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Quick Hits | Posy Simmonds wins the 2024 Grand Prix at Angoulême

Plus: News on the Eisners, Brett Lewis, Bill Griffith and more.

British cartoonist and illustrator Posy Simmonds has been awarded the Grand Prix at France’s annual Angoulême International Comics Festival. Simmonds beat out Daniel Clowes and Catherine Meurisse to capture the prize, and is only the fourth woman to be awarded the Grand Prix in its 50-year history.

Simmonds, 78, has done it all in her career, including comic illustration, daily press cartoons, weekly comic strips, best-selling albums, children’s books and screen adaptations. Her debut graphic novel, True Love, is one of the first British graphic novels, and she went on to create the well-regarded Gemma Bovery, Tamara Drewe and Cassandra Darke. She began her career doing comic strips for the Sun, the Times and the Guardian, where she spent the majority of her career. Later in life, she would start creating children’s books, and her most famous, Fred, went onto become an Academy Award-nominated short film, Famous Fred.

“I always think in a perfect world, the gender of a prize winner shouldn’t be remarkable,” Simmonds told the Guardian. “But it’s an imperfect world and the comics and bande déssinée world has always been a masculine milieu, a bit of a boys’ club. But, bit by bit, especially over the last decade, women have infiltrated it, so I’m pleased to be one of them, of course.”

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Magma Comix has big plans for 2024

The former comics publishing arm of Heavy Metal magazine has spun off into its own company, with several new titles planned for this spring.

Magma Comix launched back in 2020 as the comics publishing arm of Heavy Metal, the legendary science fiction and fantasy comics magazine that came to an end last year. Instead of letting the endeavor die off, the Magma team decided to spin the operation off and become an independent comics publisher.

“We are fortunate to have secured funding that will ensure Magma will maintain its creative freedom and independence, while providing capital and support necessary to establish long-term stability in an unpredictable industry,” said Magma Comix Founder and CEO Denton J. Tipton back in July. “Magma will lower the barriers to entry by making our line easy to navigate and by reducing risk for our retail partners. But above all, our team’s unique combination of creator relationships, industry knowledge, and passion for storytelling will unleash a creative eruption that we hope sets a new standard for comics.”

Earlier this week Magma began announcing plans for their comics line, starting with an impressive list of creators they’re working with that includes Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Eamon Winkle, Jason Starr, Dalibor Talajić, Steve Orlando and Megan Huang. They’ve also started announcing their first titles, which will arrive in April.

“Surely one of the most potent drugs in the world is the thrill of creation and I can confidently say our creators must be off their heads at this point,” said Magma Comix Editor-in-Chief Bobby Curnow. “All of our teams are pouring everything they have into their books, creating some of the best comics I’ve read in my fifteen years of editing. It’s been a real pleasure to help bring these stories into the world.”

Here’s a look at the two that have been announced thus far:

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FCBD 2024: Marvel’s ‘Blood Hunt,’ Spider-Man India, Dark Horse, Flash Gordon and more

Several publishers have revealed more about their plans for Free Comic Book Day 2024.

As we move into the new year, several companies have revealed additional details on their Free Comic Book Day plans for 2024. This year’s event will be held May 4 and will feature about 50 titles from various publishers.

And those publishers include Marvel, Dark Horse and Mad Cave, who have shared more about what to expect from this year’s titles. Let’s dig in …

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Steve Orlando returns to Spider-Man 2099 for another weekly miniseries

Orlando will work with a variety of artists on the series, which will introduce 2099 versions of classic Marvel horror characters.

Steve Orlando will return to the world of 2099 next year with another weekly limited series featuring the co-star of one of this year’s hottest movies — and no, I don’t mean Barbie 2099.

Orlando, who previously wrote the Exodus and Dark Genesis miniseries, has written a new story titled Miguel O’Hara: Spider-Man 2099. It’ll feature 2099 variants of Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, Terror Inc. and more, with a different artist working on each of the five issues.

“Returning to 2099 has been a blast, especially with the chance to do this series of one-shots crashing Miguel up against some of Marvel’s greatest horror icons–all of whom are newly debuting in 2099!” Orlando told Marvel.com. “I can’t think of a better reality to work in than the world of 2099—that dark, neon projection of our own modern day. And no matter the horror coming in the series, Spider-Man 2099 is set to defend his city and his people—whether it’s with a gravity-defying moon shot, an infestation of next-generation zombies, or helping a mercenary werewolf finally cut his leash!”

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‘Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver’ rushes into shops this February

The twin Avengers/former mutants team up again just in time for their 60th anniversary.

A few weeks ago, Marvel teased that the ongoing Scarlet Witch title would evolve in a “fascinating way.” During New York Comic Con this weekend, Marvel revealed that following the final issue of Scarlet Witch, the creative team of Steve Orlando and Lorenzo Tammetta will move to a new title — Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver.

Orlando’s work on Scarlet Witch has been (heh) magical, as he’s created a fun, new status quo and new villains for the character. So it’s great to see him continue to write her.

The four-issue miniseries will feature covers by Russell Dauterman, who drew the covers for the 10 issues of Wanda’s solo title. The title comes just in time for the 60th anniversary of both characters, who first appeared in those early X-Men issues by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. And like always, there’s a bit of tension between the two.

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Scarlet Witch ‘will evolve in a fascinating way’ this January

Issue #10 marks the end of the series, for now, by Steve Orlando and Sara Pichelli.

It sounds like the current (and really fun) Scarlet Witch series by Steve Orlando, Sara Pichelli, and Lorenzo Tammetta will come to an end with issue #10, but fear not — Marvel promises the series will “evolve in a fascinating way this January, before ultimately returning later next year.”

In the meantime, November’s issue finds Wanda dueling with her new arch-villian, Hexfinder.

Scarlet Witch has been the gig of a lifetime—one that’s challenged me, surprised me, and brought me together with some of the greatest collaborators I’ve ever been lucky enough to work with,” Orlando said. “And we’re far from done—I can’t wait for folks to see what we’ve been conjuring up next, something that celebrates a massive milestone for Wanda and her family, and explodes this current season up into something gonzo, blockbuster, and bursting with power. Wanda will return stronger, bolder, and more powerful than ever—and not alone!”

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Marvel will enter the ‘Crypt of Shadows’ again this year

Al Ewing, Paul Davidson, Declan Shalvey, Alex Lins and more will tell haunting tales about Daredevil, Man-Thing, Deadpool and more.

For the second year, Marvel is once again opening the doors to the Crypt of Shadows, showcasing creepy stories starring their characters by Al Ewing, Cavan Scott, Declan Shalvey, Sarah Gailey and more.

Crypt of Shadows was originally a 1970s reprint title of older Marvel material, but Marvel dug it up last year to spotlight new horror stories. This year’s anthology will feature stories starring Scarlet Witch, Deadpool, Daredevil, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night and Hulk, among others. Victor Strange, Doctor Strange’s brother, will once again serve as “host.”

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Fall of X: Alpha Flight, Dark X-Men return + Nightcrawler becomes Spider-Man

Marvel reveals more details on several Fall of X tie-in titles launching this summer.

After teasing the tie-in titles for their upcoming Fall of X event at MegaCon earlier this month, Marvel has revealed more details on a number of the new series that will spring forth from Krakoa this summer.

Here’s a look at what’s been announced for August:

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Agatha Harkness takes the stage in ‘Contest of Chaos’ this summer

Heroes fueled by chaos magic will battle in Marvel’s annuals this summer.

Last week’s teaser showing several Marvel characters involved in a battle royal might have made you wonder who or what could cause your favorites to throw down like that. Well … it turns out it was Agatha all along.

Marvel has revealed more details on Contest of Chaos, a new storyline involving the now younger, rejuvenated Agatha Harkness that’ll run through the publisher’s annuals this summer. Stephanie Phillips is spearheading the event, which will kick off with a prelude issue in Scarlet Witch Annual #1 by Steve Orlando and Carlos Nieto.

Contest of Chaos is the kind of story I would absolutely sprint to the comic store to buy as a reader,” Phillips said. “There’s action, mystery, magic and my favorite characters from all over the Marvel Universe. To be spearheading the storyline is just incredibly cool for me as a creator. It’s going to be big with ramifications for the larger universe …”

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